1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a redemption system and, more particularly, pertains to redemption systems of the type adapted to accept the return of selected types of used returnable containers of the plastic or metal non-refillable class, and to issue or refund a premium to a customer in the form of either a cash return or a printed coupon redeemable at a retail establishment.
As a consequence of the enactment of legislative bills and ordinances in various states or municipalities requiring the return of used beverage containers, and proscribing the sale of nonreturnable containers predicated on anti-litter grounds, the handling of returned containers for purposes of recycling or the like, such as bottles and cans, has become a major problem in many geographical areas. Some states have mandated that a deposit be placed on beverage containers, and the handling and logistics of these collectively bulky items are or will be causing major difficulties for the suppliers of these products, and also constitute a burden on many retail establishments. It is not at all impossible for a wholesale delivery driver of these products to necessarily spend several nonprofitable and nonproductive hours each day sorting used containers at various retail outlets. In addition thereto, many retail outlets must frequently devote an inordinately disproportionate portion of their available floor space and personnel to the collection, storage and occasional sorting of returned containers. As a result, it is extremely desirable to have readily available, at suitable locations easily accessible to retail establishment customers, a redemption machine to return non-refillable containers which is adapted to accept the return of predetermined or selected types of containers such as, for instance, beverage cans or bottles, and which will refund to the returnor a premium in the form of either a monetary deposit refund or a coupon redeemable at a retail store for an amount in money or merchandise credit printed thereon. It is also desirable to have a redemption machine of that nature which has the capability of recording the number of returned containers of each acceptable type. When the acceptable types of containers represent different products from different distributors, the recorded information enables the refund paid out by the machine to be charged against the proper distributor. The automation of this accounting function combined with the shredding also eliminates the possibility of theft at the retail outlet and collecting double deposits against the distributor.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Heretofore, various types of arrangements or machines have been disclosed or suggested in the prior art relating to the facilitation of handling returnable, recyclable containers, and particularly beverage containers of several different types. Myers U.S. Pat. No. 3,412,837, Arp U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,792,765 and 3,857,334 and Tanaka U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,087 all disclose machines for accepting and compacting returned containers incorporating select characteristics. Containers, such as metal cans, are accepted and processed by the machines, and a token is dispensed to the returnor for each returned container. In these prior art arrangements, the returned containers are crushed or compacted prior to being placed in a storage receptacle, thus providing an increase in the storage capacity of the machines. The returned containers are checked to determine if they have selected physical characteristics such as a predetermined size, shape, weight, etc. However, it is an important drawback that these prior art machines are not possessed of the selectivity or versatility required for the types of applications for which the present invention was developed and, in particular, these prior art machines are not capable of ascertaining if a container in an acceptable type by scanning code markings thereon. Furthermore, these prior art machines cannot record transactions and accrue debit to the appropriate distributor for the returned containers so as to necessitate the returned containers being stored in a more space-consuming and uneconomical manner, while also rendering their removal from the stored location in the retail establishment much more cumbersome.
One prior art arrangement which is more selective than most is disclosed in Menefee U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,583 which relates to a machine designed to dispense containers of milk and which is also adapted to accept the return of empty milk containers within the machine. Each milk container has a keyhole formed in its bottom, and the machine includes a complementary key which is inserted into the keyhole to ascertain if the container being processed is acceptable. If the container is not acceptable, a reject receptacle at the front of the machine returns the rejected milk container to the customer.
In another area of technology, Herrin U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,963; Yoneyama U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,999; Rabedeau U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,816; Chadima, Jr., et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,299; and Hobart U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,166 all disclose different types of systems for scanning various kinds of markings, typically in the form of universal product code (UPC) symbols imprinted on a product, which will provide information with great specificity and accuracy as to the type, nature and manufacturer or origins thereof. However, none of these patents discloses the use of scanning equipment of this nature in a redemption arrangement wherein used containers of selected types, such as beverage cans or bottles, are accepted (or rejected) by a machine in response to scanned UPC symbol information provided on the container.
Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 886,333, filed Mar. 13, 1978, and assigned to a common assignee, discloses a more selective approach for an apparatus which accepts the return of selected types of used containers and dispenses compensation for the return of an approved type of container. In this disclosed arrangement, a returned container is placed into a depository in the machine so as to enable a scanner to read code markings on the container, however, the scanner cannot read indicia arranged at different levels. If the code indicates the container is of an acceptable type, actuating mechanism causes the container to be deposited in a storage receptacle within which the containers are periodically compacted. The arrangement disclosed therein compacts, rather than shreds, the accepted returned containers, and accordingly stores the returned and compacted containers in a less efficient manner than if the containers were comminuted. Furthermore, the present invention differs from this arrangement markedly in the manner in which the code markings on the container are scanned, and also the method by which acceptable containers are processed and directed through the machine, or alternatively, rejected containers returned to the customer.